Fear of depth is one of the most common human phobias. The condition manifests itself in fear of the abyss of water, an unknown space hidden from view. While in the water, it may seem to a person that the inhabitants of the depths are trying to pull him to the bottom. What are the reasons for the development of a phobia, against the background of which a fear of depth may arise? We will try to understand these issues.
Reasons
What is the name of the phobia fear of depth? This mental phenomenon is known as "batophobia" and is considered one of the most dangerous obsessive conditions that can develop in a person. Once in the water, people prone to fear of the depths panic, quickly lose touch with reality and may begin to drown. At the same time, the fear of depth absolutely does not concern people who swim poorly. Because in this case, the fear of the depths has a specific basis.
Fear of depth is a phobia that develops according to the following reasons:
- Genetics - a person may have prerequisites for the development of bathophobia according to heredity.
- Bad experience when learning to swim: often a child unfamiliar with water is immediately thrown into the depths, trying to activate the instinct of self-preservation. In such a situation, the baby may experience psychological trauma, which will force him to avoid visiting water bodies in adulthood.
- Dangerous incidents while swimming: if a person felt the risk of drowning, experienced fear of convulsions, in the future this can serve as the basis for the development of bathophobia.
- Negative associations: fear of depth is often the result of losing friends or loved ones on the water.
- Fear of the unknown: manifested in the feeling of the abyss, the infinity of the water column.
- Fear of the inhabitants of the deep: so-called emotional anchors are formed in the creation of man. The prerequisite for their education is most often watching horror films. When certain areas of the brain are activated, a person may imagine monsters that supposedly inhabit the reservoir.
Types
There are several varieties of bathophobia:
- Objective - the individual feels fear due to the presence of a real potential danger to he alth and life. For example, a person prone to manifestations of bathophobia may not be able to dive and independently rise to the surface.
- Destructive - fear of the ocean, depth, which is rooted in negative irrational thoughts and expectations regarding the futurebeing in the water.
Features of behavior in bathophobia
Now we figured out what the fear of depth is called. Next, let's look at the behaviors exhibited by individuals prone to such an emotional disorder.
Most often, a phobia manifests itself in the fact that a person prefers to find excuses for swimming while relaxing on a pond or swimming close to the shore. If the comrades decide to jokingly drag the subject of bathophobia to the depths, the result of such actions may be panic, hysteria, a state of shock, up to loss of consciousness. Such cases often lead to the fact that a person completely refuses contact with water.
Children who suffer from bathophobia actively protest against going to the beach and taking a bath. Most often, parents perceive such behavior as ordinary whims, not attaching much importance to it. If adults show excessive perseverance, then the feeling of threat may not leave the child for many years.
Physical manifestations of the disorder
When a person is afraid of the water depths, specific symptoms appear at the physiological level:
- increased heart rate;
- appearance of dry mouth;
- development of nausea, gagging;
- thumping in the temples, dizziness, loss of balance and orientation in space, headaches;
- muscle numbness, tingling in the body;
- fever, chills;
- Feeling of increasing suffocation, shortness of breath.
Psychological manifestations
As for the emotional state characteristic of bathophobia, it is worth noting here, first of all, the fear of losing control over one's own actions, surrounded by strangers, if contact with water is necessary. People who suffer from this disorder become afraid of going crazy when they realize that in the near future they will have to dive or swim across a body of water.
Other psychological manifestations of bathophobia concern one's own "I". A person with a disturbed psyche may not feel the reality of what is happening while in the water, subconsciously transfer himself to another place and time. Such states often lead to the most inadequate reactions to seemingly simple, absolutely safe situations.
How to avoid the development of bathophobia?
There are a number of recommendations, following which you can avoid the formation of a negative state:
- When in the water, physical and emotional self-control is essential. It is necessary to carefully analyze: what thoughts arise while swimming and diving to a depth, are there real risks to life and harm to he alth.
- To overcome the fear of the depths allows self-hypnosis. If a person tries to do everything possible to develop self-confidence, then the need to learn to swim will not become an insurmountable obstacle for him.
- It is necessary to decide in advance how important it is to learn to swim, what benefits can beobtained by mastering a skill.
How to deal with bathophobia?
Eliminate the fear of depth potentially allows taking water procedures in safe, maximally transparent and shallow or artificial reservoirs. To reduce the intensity of panic states, it is enough to sit on the shore, get your feet wet, wander in shallow water.
Over time, you can go into the water up to your waist, relaxing your body or plunging your relaxed hands into it. It is extremely important to capture the feeling that the limbs are supported. In general, the steady formation of the awareness that water will not allow you to drown is of decisive importance here.
In the fight against panic states with bathophobia, it helps to create a positive image of the depths in one's own mind. This is facilitated by watching videos about wildlife and the beauty of the oceans, pictures of wonderful beaches. Focusing on these moments regularly will build a positive relationship with water over time.
If the above methods of dealing with a phobia do not bring the expected results, you should think about seeking help from a psychotherapist or signing up for a consultation with a psychologist. An objective view of a specialist on the problem from the outside will allow to identify the root causes of the formation of the disorder, to develop an effective strategy for eliminating the negative physiological and emotional manifestations of the pathological condition.
In conclusion
So we figured out what representsa fear of depth, water, as such an emotional state is called. Finally, I would like to note that in order to eliminate fear, first of all, constant work on oneself is required. A good start here is the use of special psychological techniques, for the selection of which it is worth contacting the services of a specialist.
